Excerpts From the Daily Press Briefing Pertaining to Western Hemisphere Affairs Full Briefing
QUESTION: I have a question about Secretary Clinton’s meeting with the
Brazilian foreign minister.
MR. WOOD: Mm-hmm.
QUESTION: Do you know if she plans to raise the case of Paul Goldman who’s been trying to get his son back from Brazil for about four years now, and if she’s aware of the case?
MR. WOOD: Well, certainly, she’s aware of the case. Whether it will come up or not, I don’t know, can’t tell you until after the meeting has happened.
QUESTION: You don’t know if she plans to raise it?
MR. WOOD: I don’t know.
QUESTION: Can you --
MR. WOOD: She may plan to raise it and it may not come up for some reason or another. I just --
QUESTION: Can you bring us up to date, at least, on the case and what you might know about it?
MR. WOOD: Look, the only thing I know about it is that we’re working with the Brazilian Government to try to bring about a proper resolution to the case. But I don’t have any more specifics than that.
QUESTION: Are you frustrated with their efforts to bring the son back to the United States?
MR. WOOD: Look, this is another one – this is one of those very sensitive cases, and I don’t think it helps for me to start expressing, you know, views about it. Let’s let our government – two governments work this out so that we can get a resolution to it.
QUESTION: But it’s fair to say that it’s gotten up to a high level, at the Secretary’s level?
MR. WOOD: Well, certainly, the Secretary’s aware of the issue. We have other Department personnel working on it, so, I mean, that’s not surprising. I mean, it’s an important issue, it’s a very sensitive one, and we want the two governments to try to work it out behind the scenes.
……………………………………………QUESTION: On
Cuba, and this is about the budget – budget bill that’s coming out, and apparently it contains key paragraphs that don’t – obviously, a budget doesn’t change U.S. policy, but it doesn’t have any money for enforcement of the travel restrictions on Cuba. So could you say whether that’s –
MR. WOOD: I haven’t seen – you’re talking about the omnibus? Is that what you’re talk –
QUESTION: Mm-hmm.
MR. WOOD: Yeah. I haven’t seen the omnibus bill, at least the language, and I don’t want to comment on it until I’ve had a chance to look at it and others have had a chance to look at it. Once we see –
QUESTION: Would you expect that the Administration is going to continue enforcing the travel restrictions on Americans to Cuba?
MR. WOOD: Well, let’s see. I mean, the Administration is looking at a number of different issues with regard to our Latin America policy, and when – if we do have something different to say with regard to Cuba, we’ll let you know.
QUESTION: Well, isn’t there an ongoing review of whether these policies on the travel restrictions particularly – isn’t this Administration engaged in a review of whether the travel restrictions should stand?
MR. WOOD: We’re looking at a number of different aspects of our policy with regard to Cuba and other countries in Latin America. And once we have something to say, Elise, we’ll be happy to let you know.
QUESTION: May I follow up?
MR. WOOD: Sure, Michelle.
QUESTION: I think it’s actually the remittances of Cuban Americans that -- the restrictions of the Bush Administration put in place, above and beyond the wrong embargo. And President Obama on the campaign trail said – suggested that he would change that. Is that specifically under review?
MR. WOOD: Well, I’m not going to get into specifics, but as I just said to Elise, we’re, you know, looking at a number of different aspects of our policies throughout Latin America. Cuba is certainly one of those countries that we’re looking at, but I don’t have anything more for you at this point.
